From a recruiter to PHP developer, everyone needs a resume. It’s not a very pleasant writing activity, and someone might even hate the very guts of it, still a solid resume must be forwarded, if you want to land a classy job with tons of money in the paycheck, sky-high prestige, comfy office, first-class social package, sexy secretary and a smart boss, who’s not devil’s cousin in the meantime.

Today there are plenty of tips on how to fetch a killer resume or mind-blowingly awesome CV. However, internet recruiting gurus seldom dwell upon mistakes a potential applicant does, when sending their curriculum vitae. Luckily, you have this article, which will tell you about 5 key mistakes you make in the resume, based on data analysis by Google HR experts.

Things to avoid in your resume, ever

Written mistakes. Every week Google’s recruiting department receives up to 50.000 resumes and CV’s. That’s an epic figure, and the guys evidently work hard to land the best of the best. But according to the head of the HR department, almost 60% of applications contain… grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation mistakes. In Google, they will turn down even a new marketing prodigy or the next messiah of coding, if he or she has at least one error or typo in the resume, and there’s no chance a person gets a job at Google. But even if you don’t aim to work at Mountain View, make sure your CV is free from grammar mistakes.

Too long resume. There’s an unspoken rule: one page of your resume per ten years of experience. Always mind your p’s and q’s in terms of the resume length. It’s not an essay or a random job-related topic, as resume is only the mean to showcase your working experience and qualities, and ultimately get invited to a job interview. And the last is the place and time to tell your whole story and highlight best perks in the most luminous light possible.

As for the resume length, no one in the HR sphere reads applications two-three pages long. That’s dumb, a good recruiter doesn’t have time for such nonsense. If you’re a young specialist, one page of your resume is beyond enough.

Formatting. Are you an artist or web designer? Then it’s okay for your resume to be creative, given you have the sense of style and a good eye. In any other case, make your resume plain and readable. White background, decent font and black font color, one-and-a-half spacing, compatibility with Microsoft Word and Google Docs. To make sure your resume reads well on all screens and resolutions, save it as PDF, so the formatting won’t be running wild. Because if a recruiter opens the resume and sees a tiny serif font, pink page cover and cats, he or she will close the file in half a second.

Disclosure of confidential information. When balancing between the desire to reveal yourself in a good light as a classy specialist and non-disclosing confidential information, stick to the last. Even if you make the slightest innuendo, like Ten years working for Cupertino instead of bluntly saying Ten years of working for Apple, you’ll be turned down by every self-respecting company.

First, no one wants to deal with legal suits inflicted by too selfish and ambitious employees. Second, no one wants to have a person in the team who’s okay with disclosing corporate secrets once fired. Given today up to 10% of resumes contain confidential information, do better than that and stay in those 90% who don’t.        

Brag. Lying to your potential employer is bad for karma and your perspectives in the company. Of course, you can always lie a bit, brag a lot, and some recruiter might even buy your gasconade at the interview. But in two years, when you’re to be promoted to the senior position, the lie will float to the surface when you least expect. Social networks, ex-colleagues, former bosses, lower level of skills than you bragged about at the interview… Lie will throw a monkey-wrench into the machinery of your corporate ladder climbing at any moment. And you definitely won’t be that person with a professional reputation devastated by just a bit of bragging.       

About the author:

Ann Aldrich is the recruiter, manager of essay writing service and blogger for life. Likes helping people in search of talents actually find those bright minds and join efforts to create stunning things, projects, and goodies. Travels the world to learn more about corporate culture in different countries.